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Boy hangs himself at high school in Toyama

19 Comments

Police in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, said Friday that a 16-year-old boy hanged himself at school in an apparent suicide.

According to police, the boy was discovered hanging by his neck inside the language laboratory at around 8:55 a.m. Thursday. TV Asahi reported that he was taken to hospital where he died late Thursday night.

Police said the boy was seen arriving at school at 7 a.m. as usual, but just before his first period class began at around 8:40 a.m., his classmates noticed he was missing and started searching the school for him. After finding him, a teacher called 119.

No suicide note was found. Police said they have begun questioning teachers and students to see if the boy was being bullied at school. The principal described the boy as very serious-minded student.

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19 Comments
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very serious mimded...a closer step to lunacy? maybe he is so much stressed.

-18 ( +0 / -18 )

Another suicide. RIP

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Yes, mr oldman_13, may he RIP and loved ones be consoled.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The fact that he killed himself at the school indicates that he had a "strong resentment" against the school. Very sad.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

How sad. My sympathies to his fellow students, family and friends. More needs to be done for not only the youth of Japan, but everyone, to ensure they receive the proper counseling in times of distress. Don't be ashamed! Speak up!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

My co-worker has a good point. What makes this news. 30,000 people kill themselves in Japan everyday. That is nearly 10 a day. I know you are all going to downvote me. but you know what I say. RIP to the other 9 people killed themselves on the SAME day who get zero attention and put into the news.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

CrazyJoe, not necessarily. A student I know hanged himself in the uni toilet, and the reason was that his girlfriend dumped him. He probably acted on impulse after having a few beers with the lab mates.

InakaRob, it makes the news because the boy was 16 years old. You add a hint of bullying and it's newsworthy

0 ( +1 / -1 )

InakaRob, it makes the news because the boy was 16 years old. You add a hint of bullying and it's newsworthy

I am afraid that you are confused between "newsworthy" and "attention grabbing/sensationalistic".

0 ( +1 / -1 )

well, inakarob,

I won't thumbs down you, but it being a kid is really sad, and in a school is pretty big news.

The other nine are usually men over 40 or 50 who can't repay loans and have families to protect. It is so common everyone already knows the story, however tragic. Kids are a special case, imo. And bullying is a big deal, if they find it.

RIP to all of them, though.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The parents of the boy should know if he was being bullied or not unless he kept it hidden from them.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Poor kid. I can understand why people would jump to the conclusion he was bullied, and I bet that's what happened, but clearly it is still unknown what happened for sure.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Very sad, and I do not give a crap about thumbs down or up. It is just wrong for so many young people to take their own lives. I can not even imagine what this poor kid was going through. I do hope Japan can try to reflect on all of these senseless suicides. RIP young kid down in Toyama.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

his classmates noticed he was missing and started searching the school for him.

This is unusual, isn't it? Doesn't it suggest they knew something was wrong?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

MariaJan. 18, 2014 - 09:16PM JST

his classmates noticed he was missing and started searching the school for him.

This is unusual, isn't it? Doesn't it suggest they knew something was wrong?

More probably someone had noted his arrival at 7am (as stated in the article), and when they were checking the register at 8:20'ish and about to mark him absent they spoke up and said, "No, don't mark him absent, I saw him arrive at 7am.". They may have thought he was taking a nap somewhere, or they may have been concerned about him, or they may have suspected he'd been beaten up...

I don't think this is evidence of anything one way or the other, although it should have been investigated by the police.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Tragic. More sports time (but no bullying) might help.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Sorry, Craighicks,

That would be one of my last choices for improving the situation. As it is, they join a club, and then practice every day after school, most Sat and Sun, and every day in the summer and winter vacations. The sports are year round, not seasonal like in the US. They need LESS controlled, decided time, and more free time to read a book (not assigned), go fishing with friends, or just sleep.

(Ya, the culture clubs don't do sports, but it' s the same time commitment usually, and a few kids don't join a club, but good for them, I say).

0 ( +0 / -0 )

RIP to the other 9 people killed themselves on the SAME day who get zero attention and put into the news.

Do you think any of the shocked and grieving families of any of these 10 people who were so unhappy and at their wit's end that they committed suicide actually want attention from the press and public without their consent at this time?

This poor boy is a minor, and killed himself while on school grounds, during official school hours, when in the care of school staff. Bullying has to be a consideration - the whole tragic event has to be made public. Otherwise, it's none of anyone's business what the details are unless the family wants them to be known.

People should always be aware that suicides and crime victims are not just statistics, but that doesn't give us any right to know more, even if we want to express sympathy..

0 ( +0 / -0 )

MariaJan. 19, 2014 - 08:13AM JST

People should always be aware that suicides and crime victims are not just statistics, but that doesn't give us any right to know more, even if we want to express sympathy..

Bravo Maria! If we're being honest, why is this story here? Because Japan Today wants people to visit their site and they want news that captures the extremes of human emotion, despair like suicides, or (less often) great joy.

This sort of article signifies everything that is wrong with the news today. An good solid article on the statistics of teenage suicide in Japan, written in plain language by a professor, would be a far more interesting and newsworthy article than this one, which actually provides no useful information at all.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Safe to assume that this is bullying again. What a shame, considering that at that age he´d soon be finished with school and leave that behind.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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